In a candid Facebook live chat with the team of Amazon Prime Video’s latest original Paatal Lok, creator Sudip Sharma opened up to The Quint’s Stutee Ghosh about the series being trolled for Hinduphobia, the depiction of caste and a host of other grim issues that have been portrayed.
“Right before the series opens, we have added a disclaimer saying its not meant to offend anyone. All art is inspired by reality and the series throws light on aspects that are plaguing the country. We need to trust our faith and I believe that faith is strong enough to take any criticism”.Sudip Sharma, creator of Paatal Lok
He added, “As for the trolling, in this country people get offended by everything. Everyone has the right to take offence, but that does not mean we stop making content”, said Sharma.
Among the other interesting questions discussed in the session was the name of Swastika Mukherjee aka Dolly Mehra’s adopted dog Savitri. Why such a name? To which Sudip and one of the directors, Prosit Roy, said that it was a clue.
“We wanted to draw an inference from the story of Savitri and Satyavan. The way in which Savitri saves her husband, Dolly does the same thing here. It was a veiled reference which many people found out after a second viewing”.Sudip Sharma & Prosit Roy
Apart from that Jaideep Ahlawat had some fascinating things to share about Hathi Ram Chaudhary, the protagonist and narrator of the show. “Hathi Ram’s journey is fascinating. Throughout the show, all he wanted was for people to recognise his worth and appreciate him. In the end he gets what he had desired for. I would say ultimately it was a win for both the system and the cop. They carry on their business as usual. But most importantly, it’s Hathi Ram’s inner journey that is intriguing”, said Ahlawat.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)